Tobacco rod making machines



A ril 21, 1970 K. KDRBER 3,507,288

TOBACCO ROD MAKING MACHINES Filed July 30. 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.7

A ril 21, 1970 K. KRBER TOBACCO ROD MAKING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 30. 1963 A nl 21, 1970 K. KORBER TOBACCO ROD MAKING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 30. 1963 United States Patent 3,507,288 TOBACCO ROD MAKING MACHINES Kurt Ktirber, Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany Filed July 30, 1963, Ser. No. 298,789 Claims priority, application Great Britain, July 31, 1962, 29,352/ 62 Int. Cl. A24c 5/26 US. Cl. 131-68 15 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tobacco rod forming machine including a system for forming and conveying a wrapped rod to a cutter for producing cigarettes. A rod deflector or mutilator is located downstream of a wrapper and sealer and upstream of the cutter. The deflector or mutilator is operative only during a predetermined period following the starting of the machine in order to deflect defective rod material ordinarily produced during starting, from the cutter.

The present invention relates to machines for producing wrapped tobacco rod articles, for example a continuous cigarette rod, a continuous cigarillo rod, a continuous wrapped rod for the production of packs of smoking tobacco and the like, and it relates in particular to a continuous rod cigarette-making machine. Furthermore the invention is concerned with an arrangement in which the cigarette rod-forming means is spaced from the cutting means and wherein the cigarette rod is arranged to traverse the gap from one to the other of such means to permit improperly wrapped rod portions which may be formed at starting the machine to be eliminated from the path followed by the cigarette rod before reaching the cutting means.

Machines of this kind require a certain period when they are started and before they reach the normal operating condition or a predetermined speed before correctly formed articles, i.e. cigarettes, are produced, this covering the period while the driving motor is being brought to the required operating speed.

The gumming device of such a machine forms a part of the wrapping device and should operate dependently on the working speed of the machine so that gumming of the edge of the cigarette paper strip is effected always in a proper manner when the gumming device is moved into its applying position, which movement may be effected by hand or through a control circuit system. Control of the gumming device, ie the starting of the gum feed, is necessary only on running up the machine after cigarette rod formation has been stopped, and the cut off of the gum feed is also required on stoppage of the formation of the cigarette rod. The control is then effected dependently on the control action exerted by the speed-responsive device and switching means operated thereby. This control moreover includes the operation of a gum stripper or cleaning device. By stoppage of the formation of the cigarette rod there is to be understood not only an intended interruption in production where the cigarette rod remains in the machine, but also the conditions where on stoppage the cigarette rod is removed from the machine.

The heating device is another part of the same wrapping device which requires a similar control which ensures that the heating device is moved into contact with the cigarette rod, i.e. against the seam, or is moved away therefrom. For this purpose by suitable circuit means the result is ensured that the movement into the working position is only effected after a predetermined time period after reaching a predetermined speed (which is not necessarily the full working speed of the machine) which corresponds to a speed suitable for commercial production on the machine. Movement of the heating device away from the working position is effected at the instant when cigarette rod formation is stopped in order not to burn the cigarette rod.

The present invention is directed to a measure of automation on a continuous rod cigarette-making machine, and it has for its object to provide a wrapping device including a seam closing and adhering device which is movable into an inoperative or idle position in which it is ineffective upon the cigarette rod and that the seamclosing or adhering device is movable into its operative position on starting the machine.

A constructional example according to the present invention is shown on the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cigarette-making ma chine with a tachometer unit, a control unit, a gumming unit, a seam sealing unit and a rod breaker unit, the last three units being all controlled;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the electrical circuit connecting the five units of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the seam sealing unit of FIG. 1 and shows a heater in the operative position on a cigarette rod;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the mechanism for raising the heater of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the rod breaker unit of FIG. 1, partly broken away to show further details, and in operation on a cigarette rod; and

FIG. 6 is a view of the main parts of the gumming unit of FIG. 1 showing the cleaning pad withdrawn from the gumming wheel, i.e. in the inoperative position.

The machine shown in generalised form in FIG. 1, with detail parts on a larger scale in FIGS. 35, comprises a tobacco distributor 1 adapted to produce a shower of tobacco particles which is distributed by means of a worm-like member 2 upon an endless travelling tobacco belt 3, the worm member 2 serving to impart a movement to the tobacco particles in the same direction as the movement of the belt 3. The belt 3 delivers a coherent stream of tobacco formed thereon by the distributor and the worm member 2 to a peripheral duct in a feed wheel 4 which lifts the tobacco stream to a higher level and delivers it to rod-forming means where the tobacco is received by a paper strip in a well-known manner and not therefore shown in detail on the drawings, and supported by a conveyor in the form of an endless formingbelt 6. By passage through the rod-forming means the paper strip is folded around the tobacco rod.

The wrapping means embodies a gumming unit C and a seam-sealing unit D to form a properly adhering lengthwise seam in the cigarette paper strip which now forms a wrapper of the resulting cigarette rod. The forming belt 6 defines an elongated path for the cigarette rod and causes the cigarette rod to move across a gap extending lengthwise of the travel of the cigarette rod towards a cutting unit 5 which is adapted to sever the continuous rod into cigarettes of desired length and a rod scrapping or breaking unit E is disposed at said gap. The first formed portion of the cigarette rod on starting the machine has insuflicient strength to move across said gap towards the cutting unit and thus bends downwardly and out of the path of the rod. Subsequent portions of the rod which may be sufficiently stiff to pass on towards the cutting unit 5 but which are known to be faulty are broken up by the action of the unit E.

The apparatus shown on the drawings further includes a speed-responsive time delay device indicated at A and a control unit or actuating means indicated generally at B in FIG. 1.

The speed-responsive device A is also indicated in diagrammatic form on FIG. 2, together with the control unit B and it comprises a tachometer generator 8 with a dial 9 and a switching section 10. The shaft of tachometer generator 8 is driven from the shaft of the feed wheel 4. One lead of switching section 10 is connected to power line 11 and another lead is connected to a relay 13 located in a control box 15 of the control unit B. The relay 13 is also connected to the other power line 12 by a switch 14. Three switches 16, 17 and 18 operated by relay 13 are contained in control box 15 and are connected respectively in the control circuits of gummin g unit C, seam sealing unit D and rod scrapping or breaking unit E. Time delay devices 19 and 20- of any suitable type are also connected respectively in series with switches 17 and 18.

FIG. 3 shows the seam sealing unit D which comprises an electric bar heater 31 adjustably mounted on a bracket 32 which in turn is adjustably mounted on a holder 33. Holder 33 is pivotable about a support 34 which is held in a bracket 35 fastened to the machine frame 36. A cable 37 supplies power to the bar heater 31. The amount of current flowing through it, and hence the temperature of bar 38, is controlled by a rheostat 39. A threaded rod 40 with a locking nut 41 is screwed into bracket 32 so that its tip rests on one end of a substantially vertical cylinder 42 (FIG. 4) which is oscillatable about a stud (not shown) mounted on a base plate 7 fastened to frame 36. A sector 43 of the cylinder 42 is raised to form a single inclined plane 59 over which the tip of the rod 40 travels when the cylinder 42 is caused to turn back and forth. Such turning of the cylinder 42 is achieved by means of an electromagnet 44 the armature of which is connected to or includes a screw 45, screwed into the end of cylinder 42 and slightly off-centre with reference to the axis of the cylinder, through a slotted connecting bar 46. A spring 47 around the armature shaft urges the shaft outwards and the action of the electromagnet 44 on the armature is inwards when power is supplied to it through cable 48. The bar heater 31 is shown in its operative position, i.e. electromagnet 44 is energised.

The rod scrapping or breaking unit E shown in FIG. 5 is fastened to machine frame 36 and compirses a stationary box frame 49 containing a transmission including a train of gears 50. The first and larger gear Wheel 51 is provided with a free Wheeling clutch including a simple pawl and ratchet system, the ratchet 62 being freely rotatable about the shaft of gear 51. An arm 52 is fastened to ratchet 62 at one end and the other end is connected to a piston rod 53 of a compressed air cylinder 54. A switch box 55 contains an electrically operated compressed air valve of known construction. Cable 56 transmits signals to it while hoses 64 convey compressed air to it from a source not shown and from it to cylinder 54.

The shaft of the last and smallest gear 57 is extended through a wall of frame 49 so that it crosses transversely of and above the path of cigarette rod -R so that a radially projecting blade 58 completely severs rod R when it is rotated. The rod breaker is shown in its operative position, i.e. when piston rod 53 is operated by current being supplied to switch-box 55 and directing compressed air into the cylinder 54.

Referring to the gumming unit C in FIG. 6 gum (from a source not shown) is fed through a nozzle 21 to a transfer wheel 22, driven by a motor 23, and is taken from the transfer wheel 22 by contact with the periphery of a gumming wheel 24 rotated according to arrow 27 by means not shown and which applies said gum to the edge of wrapper strip 25 moving in the direction of arrow 26. Adjacent to the gumming wheel 24 downstream from transfer wheel 22 is located a cleaning pad 28 attached to one end of a pivoted bell-crank 29 the other end of which is attached to the armature of an electromagnet 30.

FIG. 6 shows the position of pad 28 when electromagnet 30 is energised against the action of a spring 63 around the armature by current being supplied through a cable 61.

The method of operation is as follows: For starting up the cigarette-making machine 1 the switch 14 (FIG. 2) is closed and when feed wheel 4 reaches a desired speed the tachometer generator 8 closes the contacts of switch 10 thereby energising relay 13, which closes the switches 16, 17 and 18. Closing of switch 16 completes the circuit for electromagnet 30 (FIG. 6) so that pad 28 which, up to this point, has been cleaning gum from the pcriphery of gumming wheel 24, is moved away from the periphery and gum is applied to one edge of cigarette paper strip 25.

Closing of switch 17 (FIG. 2) completes the circuit of the timing device 19 which after a predetermined interval closes the circuit of the seam sealing unit D. This actuates electromagnet 44 (FIG. 4) so that the cylinder 42 is partially rotated which allows the rod 40 to slide down the inclined plane 59 thereby lowering the bar heater 31 on to the seam of the cigarette rod R and commences to dry the gum or it. Closing of the switch 18 completes the circuit of the timing device 20 which after a predetermined delay closes the circuit of the rod breaker unit E. This actuates the air valve in switch box 55 (FIG. 5) so that compressed air is forced into cylinder 54 and partially rotates gear wheel 51 through arm 52 and the ratchet 62 attached to it. The gear train 50 is set into motion so that blade 58 completes several revolutions in the path of cigarette rod R severing parts, such as part 60, from it until such time as it stops rotating, i.e. when piston rod 53 has reached the end of its movement. In this normal position of rest blade 58 is more or less vertical, i.e. out of the path of the rod R, and the time interval of its operation is so calculated that the rod R arrives adjacent to it in a condition acceptable for producing the desired cigarette units by the cutter 5 (FIG. 1).

It will be noted that in this particular constructional example of the invention the apparatus is electrically controlled on a fail-safe basis. In other words, with a failure of all or appropriate part of the electrical circuitry, due to automatic detector action, to the operators manual control or to other circumstances, the cleaning pad 28 (FIG. 6) would press against the periphery of gaming wheel 24 under the action of spring 61, the bar heater 31 (FIG. 4) would be raised from rod R under the action of spring 47, and the rod breaker unit E (FIG. 5) would not operate at all.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine for producing a wrapped tobacco rod, a combination comprising a rod former including means for applying a wrapper tape around a travelling tobacco rod so that the edges of the tape are adjacent to each other and extend lengthwise of the resulting rod; joint forming means for producing a seam by joining said edges of the tape, said joint forming means comprising a portion movable between operative 'and inoperative positions; starter means actuatable to start the operation of said rod former; and a. device for moving said portion of said joint forming means to operative position with a predetermined delay following the starting of said rod former.

2. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said rod former comprises conveyor means for advancing the rod lengthwise and drive means for driving said conveyor means, said drive means being accelerated from zero speed to a predetermined speed in response to actuation of said starter means and said device being arranged to move said portion of said joint forming means to operative position with a delay which corresponds substantially to the interval required for acceleration of said drive means to said predetermined speed.

3. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said joint forming means comprises a gumming unit arranged to apply paste to at least one edge of said tape and a sealing unit for heating the paste applied by said gumming unit, said movable portion of said joint forming means comprising a heating element in said sealing unit and said heating element being respectively nearer to and more distant from the edges of the tape in said operative and inoperative positions thereof.

4. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said joint forming means comprises a gumming unit arranged to apply paste to at least one edge of the tape and said portion of said joint forming means comprises an element of said gumming unit.

5. In a machine for producing a wrapped tobacco rod, a combination comprising a rod former including means for applying a wrapper tape around a travelling tobacco rod so that the edges of the tape are adjacent to each other and extend lengthwise of the resulting wrapped rod; joint forming means for producing a seam by joining said edges of the tape; rod mutilating means operative to break the wrapped rod in a region located past said joint forming means; starter means actuatable to start the operation of said rod former; and a device for operating said mutilating means for a predetermined period of time in response to starting of said rod former.

6. A combination as defined in claim 5, wherein said rod former comprises conveyor means for advancing the rod lengthwise and drive means for driving said conveyor means, said drive means being accelerated from zero speed to a predetermined speed in response to actuation of said starter means and said device being arranged to operate said mutilating means for a period of time corresponding to the interval required for acceleration of said drive means to said predetermined speed.

7. A combination as defined in claim 5, further comprising cutting means for subdividing the wrapped rod into sections of predetermined length, said mutilating means being located between said joint forming means and said cutting means.

8. In a machine for producing a wrapped tobacco rod, a combination comprising a rod former including means for applying a wrapper tape around a travelling tobacco rod so that the edges of the tape are adjacent to each other and extend lengthwise of the resulting wrapped rod; joint forming means for producing a seam by joining said edges of the tape, said joint forming means including a portion movable between operative and inoperative positions and said portion of said joint forming means comprising a first element arranged to supply paste for application to at least one edge of the tape in the operative position of said portion and a second element arranged to heat the thus applied applied paste in the operative position of said portion; rod mutilating means operative to break the wrapped rod in a region located past said joint forming means; starter means actuatable to start the operation of said rod former; a first device for moving said portion of the joint forming means to operative position with a predetermined delay following the starting of said rod former, said first device being arranged to move said elements to operative positions in response to actuation of said starter means; a second device for operating said mutilating means for a predetermined period of time following the starting of said rod former, said second device being arranged to operate said mutilating means not earlier than upon completed movement of at least one of said elements to operative position.

9. In a machine for producing a wrapped tobacco rod, a combination comprising a rod former including means for applying a wrapper tape around a travelling tobacco rod so that the edges of the tape are adjacent to each other and extend lengthwise of the resulting wrapped rod; joint forming means for producing a seam by joining said edges of the tape; rod mutilating means operative to break the wrapped rod in a region located past said joint forming means, said mutilating means comprising a member for periodically breaking the rod so that the rod is broken up into relatively short fragments; starter means actuatable to start the operation of said rod former; and a device for operating said mutilating means for a predetermined period of time following the starting of said rod former.

10. A combination as defined in claim 9, wherein said member of said mutilating means is rotatable about a predetermined axis to engage and break the rod during each revolution thereof.

11. A combination as defined in claim 10, wherein said mutilating means further comprises drive means for rotating said member including an element movable back and forth in first and second directions and motion transmitting means for rotating said member in response to movement of said element in one of said directions.

12. A combination as defined in claim 11, wherein said motion transmitting means comprises a ratchet-andpawl mechanism and wherein said drive means further comprises a gear train connecting said mechanism with said member.

13. In a machine for producing a wrapped tobacco rod, a combination comprising a rod former including means for applying a wrapper tape around a traveling tobacco rod so that the edges of the tape are adjacent to each other and extend lengthwise of the resulting wrapped rod; joint-forming means for producing a seam by joining said edges of the tape, said joint-forming means comprising a portion movable between operative and inoperative positions; rod-mutilating means operative to break the wrapped rod in a region located past said joint-forming means; starter means actuatable to start the operation of said rod former; a first device for moving said portion of the joint-forming means to operative position with a fixed time delay after the starting of said rod former; and a second device for operating said mutilating means for a fixed period of time greater than said fixed time delay after starting of said rod former.

14. A combination as defined in claim 13, wherein each of said device comprises time delay means.

15. A combination as defined in claim 13, wherein at least one of said devices is adjustable.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES 12/ 1939 Great Britain. 2/1951 Great Britain. 10/ 1909 Germany.

JOSEPH S. REICH, Primary Examiner 

